Ordeig (left) is presented with a gift on Senior Day by head coach Yaser Zaatini (right).

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Ordeig gets match-clinching win over Mercer on Senior Day as Bucs earn second regular season title in three years

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (April 12, 2014) - Playing in his final match on the Buddy Hartsell Courts at the Dave Mullins Tennis Complex, senior Roger Ordeig (Gurb, Spain) went out in in the same fashion ETSU fans have come to expect from him: with a win. The Gurb, Spain, native picked up a match-clinching victory at No. 6 singles as the Bucs cruised past Mercer, 7-0, to secure a share of the Atlantic Sun regular season title along with North Florida.

Ordeig teamed with freshman David Biosca (Sant Fruitos De Bage, Spain) to get the Bucs off on the right foot, opening the day with an 8-5 win at No. 1 doubles. The team's lone senior, Ordeig also put the finishing touches on the match, earning a 6-2, 6-2 victory at No. 6 singles.

Conner Huertas (Lima, Peru) and Sebastian Yllera (Cinco Saltos, Argentina) clinched the doubles point for ETSU with an 8-5 win at the No. 3 doubles spot.

"I think we had perfect timing in doubles today," ETSU head coach Yaser Zaatini said. "It's natural to say that we struggled a little bit getting started quick the last few matches. If we can go into singles consistently with the energy flowing and the guys fighting—if we're able to put it together with a whole team effort—we look very good."

The Buccaneers (12-8, 7-0) went on to sweep singles play, with all six players winning in straight sets.

Huertas, Merino, and Yllera went unbeaten in league play, with Huertas and Merino earning 7-0 singles records, and Yllera going 6-0.

Ordeig finished the season winning nine of his last 10 decisions.

Over the past four seasons, Ordeig has compiled an overall singles record of 71-44, while going 39-33 in doubles play. He has also accrued an impressive 38-5 cumulative record in league play.

ETSU rattled off nine consecutive wins to conclude the regular season, including a perfect 7-0 record in league play. With their convincing 7-0 win over Mercer Saturday afternoon, the 66th-ranked Buccaneers clinched a share of the regular season crown along with No. 67 North Florida, which finished the season with a spotless 6-0 conference record.

Despite securing the No. 1 seed for next weekend's Atlantic Sun Championships, the Bucs' quest for an eighth consecutive tournament championship will not be easy. ETSU will be faced with the difficult task of playing on North Florida's home court.

The Ospreys (13-9, 6-0) will serve as the host school for the league tournament, which will be played April 17-19 in Jacksonville, Fla.

"Basically, it's a tough situation," Zaatini said. "A lot of things come into play. It's kind of going to be kind of our goodbye from the conference and we want to end it in a classy way—not only with a good performance, but also recognizing what this conference has meant to the growth of our tennis program.

"The conference has seen this program grow in a really positive way," Zaatini said. "When I look at the development of the A-Sun as a tennis conference overall, it brings a sense of pride. We grew together. It is a little bit of a bittersweet moment."

ETSU will be rejoining the Southern Conference next season, a league which it was a member of from 1978-2005.